


Ius Ad Invicem

by Angel1622



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, Nakamaship, Sacrifice, Survivor Guilt, The Fundamental Law of the Sea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2020-07-29 11:11:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20081248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel1622/pseuds/Angel1622
Summary: While infiltrating a city full of Marines, Usopp gets caught with no chance of escaping. Desperate Sanji decides to exchange his life for the sharpshooter's.





	1. The ten rules

**Author's Note:**

> That's an idea that had been crossing my mind for a really long time (actually it was in my head way before I decided to try writing fics), and I finally had to turn it into a fic. I hope it will get to your liking, still being a scribble of what I needed to get out of my head.
> 
> The action takes place somewhere between Enies Lobby and Thriller Bark.
> 
> I wish you a good lecture and enjoyable time exploring the story.

„Ius ad invicem, bitch.” he says to his Baby Transporder Snail, smiling sadly.

There is a long moment of silence, he deduces that the Marines didn't see that coming.

“Hey, kid.” he finaly hears a response “Are you absolutely sure you know what those words mean?”

“Yeah.” he can't stop himself from sighing quietly “Like hell.”

Another long pause.

“Well, then. I assume you know the rules. So, where and when?”

“Don't move. I'll be there in a minute.” having that said, Sanji ends the conversation. He closes his eyes, taking out a cigarette from his pack and lighting it up. As much as he doesn't want to admit it, it's likely to be his last.

Inhale, exhale. Fuck, why does it have to taste so good, now of all times?

Sanji moves forward, slowly coming out of the shadows. He looks up, meeting Usopp's terryfied look. He hates seeing his friend like that, kneeling in the center of a circle ormed of Marines, trembling with fear with about twenty guns pointed at his head. It doesn't fit his joyful personality at all.

The first step is the hardest, they say. Whoever 'they' are, they're right, now that Sanji's exposed himself to the Marines, barely anything matters to him. They look at him, whispering to one another. Their commander, a tall man with orange hair and a funny mask, still holding his Transporder Snail, is the first person to talk.

“You're Black Leg Sanji.” it's not a question, yet the said man still nods. “You look nothing like the wanted poster-dara.”

“I don't” Sanji agrees, pointing at Usopp “If you have doubts, ask him.”

“There's no need.” the man shakes his head “Hold out your hands.”

Sanji throws the cigarette's butt on the ground and does as said. He examines his hands, trying to count all the times he'd cut himself while trying to prepare food for Luffy as fast as possible. The realization that there won't ever be a next time hits him harder than he'd like. Two marines approach him. One of them holds his arms in an iron grip, making sure he won't try anything.

Like he'd even think of trying. The die is cast, and he knows the rules.

The other man puts a pair of Sea-Stone cuffs on Sanji's hands. The cook does nothing, trying to imagine how Robin-chan felt when wearing a pair of those back in Enies Lobby. She must have been terryfied, but he felt like he kind of understood her better now.

“Hey, Sanji, what are you doing? You should had run!” Usopp's words get the said man out of his thoughts.

The cook gives the sharpshooter a sad smile. He couldn't leave a friend behind, nor run away from a fight. How would he be able to look Luffy in the eye? What would he say “Hey, Usopp got into trouble, and there were too many thugs so I ran away.”?

Sanji takes his lighter from his pocket and throws it to Usopp, than turns to the commander.

“Can you leave him as he is? Neither his life nor health are exposed to danger, right?” he asks, trying to look the man in the eye. There is a short moment of reflection, followed by a slow nod.

“I'll leave three of my men with him.” he says “They'll return to us as soon as we arrive at the ship.” this time it's Sanji's turn to nod. He took a deep breath. That's how things are supposed to be, his comrade, Usopp, being safe and sound. Bearing that huge smile of his and telling stories about Captain Usopp's adventures. Sanji would give anything to hear them one more time.

“Usopp.” for the last time, he looks back “Tell Nami-san that she looks beautiful, and by no means let Luffy get into the kitchen. Chopper will show you how to make cotton candy, but don't do it too often – he'll get sick. The key to the cupboard with sake is under the coffee machine, watch out for marimo, he can't find out. If you beg Robin-chan, she might help you a little.” he sighs “Also, don't let Franky try modifying the kitchen, it can't turn out good, and don't let Brook cook – he has a dead sense of taste. Those are the most important things. I wrote down some recipes, you'll find them somehow.”

“Hey, don't you dare make this sound like a farewell, Sanji!” protests Usopp “I won't-”

“Oh, and tell everyone that it's just about time to harvest the mandarines.” Sanji interrupts him “Otherwise they won't be so fresh. Got it?”

The sharpshooter nods, looking down. He's smart, he'll know what to do next. There's so many things Sanji would like to tell him, tell everyone how happy he was on his journey with them. Shit, he can't even thank them properly. One of the Marines pushes him forward, they walk away from kneeling Usopp. Sanji doesn't have to turn around to know that his friend's sobbing. The cook has to fight the urge to turn around and try to cheer him up, beat the shit out of those Marines and return to the Sunny. Prepare a small feast, listen to Brook's music, admire Nami-san's and Robin-chan's beauty, even fight with the damned algae. But he can't do that, looking at the amount of guns pointed at their heads. Trying to oppose them would be suicide, besides the pact has already been made.

Again, the first step hurts, the one bringing him closer to the Marine ship docked near the crumbling platform floating limbly, rocked by waves. Sanji doesn't look down, he walks with his chin lifted proudly.

He's not a captive who couldn't run from the Marines, he's the man who turned himself in, in order to protect a friend. The one who said “Ius ad invicem”.

“Usopp!” shouts Nami, slapping the sharpshooter “Say something! What happened to Sanji-kun?”

Since he returned to the ship, they can't get a word out of him. He just sits in silence, staring blankly at Sanji's lighter.

“Nami...” he finally speaks, tears feeling his eyes “...I'm so sorry!”

The navigator's eyes widen a little. She looks at Luffy, hoping for him to do something. The captain crouches, so his and Usopp's eyes are on the same level, and looks him in the eye.

“Usopp, what happened?” he repeats Nami's question, not breaking the eye contact. The said man sobs a few times before responding.  
“We separated, Sanji wanted to check something before we returned, but then... there were Marines everywhere, Luffy, pointing their guns at me. I was so scared.” he stops for a second, breathing fast “Then rang the Transporder Snail. The man picked it up, and it was Sanji speaking. He said something... and it made that guy freeze. Next, he showed up.” Usopp's hands begin to tremble as he speaks.

“What happened next, Usopp?” asks Luffy calmly “What did Sanji do?”

Usopp hesitates slightly for a moment.

“He didn't do anything to fight them.” he mutters eventually “They cuffed him, and he threw me the lighter. Than, he said goodbye, and they took him.” his voice breaks as he finishes the story.

“Long-nose-kun.” says Robin after a moment “Can you remember what Cook-san told the Marine?”

Usopp visibly tries to recall the scene in his mind. He frowns slightly.

“I'm nearly sure it was 'Ius ad invicem, bitch.'” he admits eventually

Zoro smirks a little. He's sure the '-bitch' suffix isn't the key part of the story, yet it feels so like a statement the cook would say. Robin frowns a little.

“Than it's no wonder he didn't resist the Marines, I'm afraid.” she says “I read about that in one of my books, however I'd never thought Cook-san would know these words.”

There's a quiet knocking on the door.

“Come in.”

“Vice Admiral Bastille.” greets him a young boy. The said man recognises him, it's the newbie that joined his unit a short time ago “I have a question that had been bothering me since we captured that blond pirate.”

“What is it-dara?” sighs the commander. Why are the kids so nosy?

“Why did you let that long-nosed pirate go?”

“You youngsters, knowing nothing.” Bastille sighes. He doesn't really like brats working in the name of justice “I couldn't do that. The blond pirate used one of the Fundamental Laws of the Sea-dara.”

The young Marine raises his eyebrows, visibly not understanding.

“Well, no wonder you don't know anything-dara. Only the commanders of bigger units know about the Laws. But I guess it can't hurt to educate you a little...dara.” he says, walking to a book cabinet standing behind his desk. “There' s something we call the Fundamental Laws of the Sea. They are several rules that cannot be disobeyed-dara. Here.” he hands the kid an opened book. “The pirate we 'captured' used the Law of Exchange. Read it, I'm not in the mood to explain you everything-dara.”

The younger Marine nods slightly, delving into reading.

"Ius Ad Invicem. The Law of Exchange, one of The Fundamental Laws of the Sea, also called The Pirate-Marine pact. It allows a Pirate A to turn himself in to the hands of a Marines' unit commander C in exchange for his comrade B. There are ten rules regarding the Exchange.” reads out Robin. After a short moment of silence, the archeologist continues reading.

“Pirate A's bounty has to be higher than pirate B's. Pirate B cannot be a crews captain”

“That's clearrr, I doubt there's a crrrew where the captain's bounty wouldn't be the highest.” says Franky, crossing his arms.

“Well, perhaps that refers to a situation where pirates A and B come from different crews.” Nami frowns slightly “Than it would make more sense.”

“I think Navigator-san is right.” Robin nods “Next, Pirates A and B are obliged not to resist the Marines during the exchange. Pirate A cannot fight C nor his subordinates while being under their custody.”

“Tch!” snorts Zoro “Those bastards came up with some nice rules there. So, Pirate A has to turn him- or herself in and sit quietly for the whole time, huh?”

“I see.” Chopper looks down “So that's why Sanji didn't fight back...”

“That's very likely, Doctor-san. Going on, C has to set B free in conditions that don't expose their life nor health to danger.”

“That also makes some sense.” says Nami “After all, the exchange wouldn't be fair if they threw the B-person into the ocean or else.”

“So these rules aren't all that beneficial for the Marrrines. Rrrobin, what else is there we should know?”

Robin looks at the book she's holding, when her eyes suddenly widen. Nami can see her gently clenching her fists.

“Until they are transported to the Marines' base, A becomes the property of C. After the arrival at the nearest Marine base, A becomes the property of its commander.”

There is a long, disturbing silence, before Usopp stands up, raising his voice.

“Hey, Robin. What do you mean by 'property'?!” He tries his best not to show how terryfied he is right now. Did Sanji know about all those rules when he turned himself up?

“That's what the rules say, Long-nose-kun.” Robin looks down a little “I'm afraid that you already know what it means. There's more to it, however.” she inhales deeply before reading the last two rules. “A cannot be further exchanged with another pirate, thus become the pirate B. A has to be executed in three days since his arrival. The Law of Exchange is final and absolute.”

“I don't get it, Bastille-san.” the young boy shakes his head “Why would any pirate use the Law of Exchange, knowing all those rules?”

“Well, youngster.” the said man sighs slightly “This Law's main purpose is to attract pirates with higher bounties, and execute them instead of their less-famous colleagues-dara. Our ancestors wanted to make sure the captured pirate won't cause any problems nor escape. I'm really surprised by this young man, though.”

“Why is that?”

“The knowledge of Fundamental Laws is not so common." there's a quiet snort "Initially, there were one hundred copies of the book you're holding. Over time, many of them had been burned of destroyed, and the number of people passing the knowledge decreased. We, Marines were sure that by today, no pirate is aware of the Fundamental Laws' existence.”

The boy runs his hand through his hair, looking closely at his superior.

“What's going to happen to that man, Bastille-san?”

There is no response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For clearance, I put here the complete version of the law:
> 
> "Ius Ad Invicem"  
The Law of Exchange, one of The Fundamental Laws of the Sea, also called The Pirate-Marine pact. It allows a Pirate A to turn himself in to the hands of a Marines' unit commander C in exchange for his comrade B. There are ten rules regarding the Exchange.  
1\. A's bounty has to be higher than B's.  
2\. B cannot be a crew's captain.  
3\. A and B are obliged not to resist the Marines during the exchange.  
4\. A cannot fight C nor his subordinates while being under their custody.  
5\. C has to set B free in conditions that don't expose their life nor health to danger.  
6\. A cannot be further exchanged with another pirate, thus become the pirate B.  
7\. A has to be executed in three days since their arrival.  
8\. Until they are transported to the Marines' base, A becomes the property of C.  
9\. After the arrival at the nearest Marine base, A becomes the property of its commander.  
10\. The Law of Exchange is final and absolute.
> 
> I hope you liked the idea just as much as I did.  
Thank you for choosing my story.  
~Angel1622


	2. Guilt-ridden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Usopp can't quite handle the situation, however his friends are there for him. Meanwhile, Sanji meets a ridiculously curious kid.

Zoro frowns deeply, frustrated. He can't fall asleep because of that curly idiot. They'd only rescued Robin from Enies Lobby, and now he turns himself in, in the name of what? Courage? It almost makes Zoro snort. Sanji should've thought about a plan, the swordsman doesn't like to admit it, but the cook is smart. Imagining him willingly being caught is annoying, it doesn't fit him even a bit.

Nonethless, he couldn't have done that without a very good reason.

Zoro stands up and walks towards what they call 'Usopp's factory'. After a moment of hesitation, he knocks. He can hear noises inside the room, and a couple of seconds after the sharpshooter shows up. Judging from his tired face, he hadn't had any sleep either.

“What is it, Zoro?”

“I want to talk.” the response is not specific, yet the said swordsman notices how his friend tenses, fully aware of his intentions.  
“Well, I don't.” Usopp looks away, trying to close the door, however Zoro stops him, looking him deeply in the eye. Seeing the determinaton in those gray eyes, the sharpshooter gives up eventually. “...okay, sit over there. But don't you dare touch anything” he meets Zoro's icy stare “...please.”

The swordsman takes his seat, looking around. The whole room is cluttered with boxes full of various machine parts, some of them marked with letters or symbols. Zoro has a feeling that he doesn't really want to know the meaning of those marks. He looks closely at Usopp.

“I want to know what happened. Including every single detail you can remember.” a quiet sigh can be heard. This conversation couldn't possibly be comfortable for either of them.

“All right.” Usopp clears his throat slightly “So, when we were all heading to the Sunny, I realised that I forgot to take my bag full of dials from the bar we had just left. I started heading back, and Sanji came with me...”

“I know that much, dumbass!”

“Don't interrupt me, for god's sake.” it's only been three minutes and Usopp already looks tired of talking, completely not the usual behaviour of his. “I need to start from the beginning so the story makes sense. So, where was I... oh, Sanji followed me, claiming that moving around alone would be a bad idea. We succesfully retrieved the bag, but then he started acting differently, more... tense, I'd say. He momentairly told me to hurry up, so we started walking really fast.”

“Did he tell you why you did that?” Zoro's eyes narrow.

“He told me we were being followed.” Usopp gulped “By the Marines.”

“So that's it.” Zoro thinks intensively for a moment “And then you two split up.” It's not a question, yet Usopp nods slightly.

“He told me he had just remembered something, and that we'll see each other on the Sunny.” the sharpshooter takes a deep breath “I was afraid that he was going to make a bait of himself, you know he's capable of doing that... so I turned, deciding to check if everything was okay with him.”

Zoro nods. The cook would definitely try to drag the whole attention if his friend's life depended on it, that bastard. Always trying to protect everyone without really thinking about himself. It's noble, Zoro has to admit, but it frustrates him a lot. The cook's acting like everything's more important than himself. They've only rescued Robin from Enies Lobby recently, and now he, the one who cared about her even more than Luffy and alone assaulted a whole train full of enemies, of all people, turns himself in.

“So...” Usopp stops the swordsman's train of thoughts “...while I was heading back to find him, the Marines surrounded me. There was about twenty of them, all pointing their guns at my head, except the guy who seemed to be their commander, the orange-haired one with in a mask, that is. I was so terryfied I couldn't move a finger.” he looks down “I thought it was over, but then the Transponder Snail rang. The guy in the mask picked it up, and I heard Sanji on the other side. You know the rest of the story.” he smiles sadly.

Zoro needs a moment to put his thoughts together. He looks at Usopp, a few shades paler than usual, with dark shades under his eyes and crossed arms. The sharpshooter looked nothing like his usual self, more like _ the echo_ of The Great Captain Usopp he, Luffy and Nami met in Syrup Village.

“You're blaming yourself for what happened.”

“I guess it's not a question, right?” Usopp smirks “Well, of course I do. I got into trouble because I didn't listen to Sanji. I didn't _trust_ him, my friend of all people.” Zoro can his friend closing his eyes, fists clenched tightly “I don't know if I'll be able to look Luffy in the eye once I wake up. It feels like betrayal, and it hurts, for god's sake!”

There is a long moment of silence. As Usopp opens his eyes, he meets Zoro's cold ones. He gets a feeling like he have just said one word there he propably shouldn't had.

“Why did you become a pirate?” asks the Marine kid. Sanji looks up at him, leaning his head on the cold, rocked wall. His cell isn't the most comfortable one he could imagine, but hopefully no one cares to chain him to one of the walls, his only restraint being the Sea-Prism Stone cuffs.

“Do I have to answer your question?” he cocks his head a little, giving the young Marine a challenging look.

“Well... yes?” the kid's response makes Sanji sigh slightly. His interlocutor was learning quite fast, unfortunately.

“I had a foolish dream. And so did my captain. That's all to it.” he tries to sound boring and discoragingly so the youngster won't ask other questions, however the said man's curiosity seems to be something he can't fight.

“That's a nice story.” he smirks a little “What was your dream?”

Shit, it starts to feel like an interrogation. Why does that Marine care about his life so much? Sanji expected everythig when he was exchanging for Usopp – beating, humiliation, abuse, even- no, that he pushed far away from his mind, thank you very much... anyway, not being asked questions about his fucking dreams. He needs a cigarette really badly now, of all times.

“Ever heard of All Blue?” he asks. The kid slightly shakes his head. “It's a mystical sea.”

“What's so special about it?” God, this kid surely knows nothing.

“In that sea, fish from all over – East Blue, West Blue, North Blue and South Blue can be found. It's like a wonderland for a chef. And it's in Grand Line.” he smiles, recalling having a similar conversation a long time ago.

“So... you're a chef?” this time the kid cocks his head.

“Damn right.” Sanji sighs, examining his cuffs and testing his range of movement for the hundreth time since he's been captured. It didn't go unnoticed.

“Those disturb you, don't they?” though it sounds like a question, the cook feels like it's rather a statement. “I will talk to Vice Admiral Bastille and see if they can be removed.”

“You can?” the blond doesn't want to believe the kid so easily. Why would he, Marine of all people, care to free him of restraints. It's true that they were useless anyway, as Sanji would never use his hands to fight someone, still they had a symbolic meaning. That his life no longer belonged to him.

“Yes. But there's one condition.” the boy seems pleased. “You'll cook something for me in return.”

Sanji narrows his eyes in an instant.

“It doesn't work that way, kid.” he says “My hands are only meant to cook for my friends. And ladies. And starving people. It's not something you can trade.” the sudden change of his attitude scares the youngster off a little, still he doesn't seem discouraged.

“We still have a week or so until we reach the nearest base.” he looks upon the cook. “Perhaps if I could become a friend of yours until then...”

“It'd be easier for you to starve to death.” Sanji sighs. “But luckily for you I wasn't that serious.” In fact, what he said was partially true, however he's already gotten a liking to this kid. Perhaps because he reminded him of Luffy somehow, even though he was a rather serious person. He wanted to see how far can he push his luck before being ordered to do something. Well, in this kid's case, quite far. “Is that a deal?” he looks the youngster deeply in the eye. There's a moment of silence between the two of them.

“I believe so.” his interlocutor grins widely, turning around “I'll talk to Bastille-san and see if I can do anything about those restraints of yours.”

Usopp slowly opens his eyes, avoiding being blinded by the sun rays. A quie sigh escapes him, as be stands up and begins to stretch his stiffened muscles. Falling asleep while working is definitely not one of the best ideas. On top of that, he's hungry, like, really hungry. It should be way past breakfast, the sharpshooter is sure that once he enters the kitchen, he's going to receive a strong kick to the face, and a ton of complaints about showing up late to meal-

He hold his breath in realization none of the above is going to happen. There's no smell of freshly cooked meal, no quiet whistles, no Luffies sent flying out of the room after attempting to penetrate the kitchen... Usopp clenches his fist, opening the door and stepping into the sunlight. Everyone should be awake by now, exluding Zoro, who's napping like always, however to his surprise no one is there. The sharpshooter's attention gets attracted by voices coming from the library, which becomes his next destination.

“Captain, I believe that's the place we should head to.” Robin gives Luffy a serious look, pointing her finger at a map.

“Eeh? But it's far away, Robin. Are you sure?” the said man cocks his head.

“Dumbass!” snorts Nami “It's not like they are close to every single island! That would be insane.”

“But it would take... one, two, three.” Luffy starts counting on his fingers, only to get disturbed by Nami.

“Approximately nine days, if we're lucky.” she lets out a quiet sigh. “There's no way we're going to catch up to them by that time, yesterday's wind was damn beneficial if they headed that way.”

“But we've still got three days... right?” Chopper sounds deeply concerned.

“Only if we're really lucky, doctor-san. It's up to them whether they'd wait or not.”

“I'm sorry to interrupt you, guys. What are you exactly talking about?” the moment Usopp speaks up, he's immidiately noticed by his friends.

“Usopp-bro!” Franky is the first one to speak “Zorro-bro was supposed to tell you everrything and guide you to us as soon as you wake up. Didn't you meet him?” A slight shake of the sharpshooter's head makes Nami sigh deeply.

“I should've known better than to leave him. He surely fell asleep, that idiot!” she says frustrated “Anyway, isn't it obvious that we're trying to get Sanji-kun out of this mess?” she gives Usopp one of those 'how-come-you-haven't-figured-that-out-already-idiot' looks, looking back at the map. “Zoro told us you couldn't go to sleep so we decided not to wake you up.”

Usopp feels like a great weight has just been taken off him. Zoro was right.

_“Look at me, Usopp.” Zoro's voice is icy cold “You did what you thought was right. You knew that cook would try to become a decoy, so you tried to provide him backup, that's all there is to it. It's not that you didn't trust that idiot, you were worried about him, and that's natural as he's your friend, do you understand?”_

_ A slight nod of Usopp makes the swordsman take a deep breath and calm down a little. _

_“I'm sure that everyone's already thinking about a way to get that bastard out of this mess. If someone's to blame for the situation, it's the cook. He should've started a fight, not surrended like a docile sheep.”_

Even though Zoro said that, Usopp knows there was no real chance of getting into a fight – the Marines were meant to end his pathetic like then and there, he was sure of it. Firstly, because the punishments for piracy are either – being sent to Impel Down or being executed, and secondly – his bounty was way too low for the first option. If Sanji didn't turn himself in that very moment-

“Usopp.” Luffy gives him a serious look “Stop thinking about it the whole time. That's what kept you up at night.” Usopp is slightly angry at himself for being so easy to read, yet he nods. “Sanji didn't get into all this _ because_ of you, Usopp. He did it_ for_ you, so get over it and respect his choice. Besides... “ he smiles widely, all the seriousness momentairly disappearing “... we're definitely going to save him, so what's the use in worrying?”

“...Yeah.” Usopp smirks, feeling huge relief “You're right, Luffy. Let's get Sanji back!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter.  
I apologie for the long wait, however I can't quarantee the following chapters will appear sooner - this fic is like a form of relaxation to me, since it contains no rapid action or extreme emotions, to put it simple: I need to be in a rather bad mood to write it (my bad). I hope you enjoyed it nonethless. Don’t forget to let me know if you liked it.  
Thank you for choosing my work,  
Angel 1622


	3. Bonds and beliefs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While being kept captive, Sanji discovers a darker side of his new aqcuaintance who doesn't quite believe in friendship. Meanwhile, the Straw Hats on Thousand Sunny try to keep everything in order.

_“_You're really hard to understand.” the kid cocks his head. Sanji smiles slightly, hearing those words.

“What makes you say that?” the cook leans his head on the wall, closing his eyes.

“You haven't found All Blue, right?”

'Yet, kid. Just you wait' is what crosses Sanji's mind in the first place, but the realization that there won't be any of the said waiting makes him feel an unknown weight on his shoulders. Apparently, he's not going to be the one to reach the chefs' paradise, not that he regrets it much – his captain, first mate and the rest of the crew will fulfill this foolish dream, the cook shares with that old geezer. Speaking of the devil, he should've written more letters to that decreipt man, to check if he's okay. The fear that one day the crew will receive a letter saying that Zeff's dead often kept Sanji up at night. He wonders if it was the same on the other side. Did the geezer think about him? Did he __miss__ Sanji?

“You're right, kid.” the cook sighs “I haven't.”

“Did your friends know that you were going to make an exchange?” the boy narrows his eyes, examining the captured pirate as if already trying to determine the answer.

“No. I don't think they know about the Law.” Sanji shakes his head slightly, trying to imagine what can be happening on Sunny Go. Marimo idiot taking a nap, usual, or trying to get into the sake cabinet without slicing the whole kitchen into pieces. If Sanji was here, he'd propably kick his ass for disturbing his work. Only imagining this made him feel a little more lively, replaying the fight all over in his mind. How many days had it been since their last argument? Way too long. Usopp either sitting in his 'Factory' or telling everyone the story how The Great Captain Usopp fought twenty Marines single-handely. Or how he fought four Sea-Kings at once, which was Chopper's favourite.

“Do you think they will figure it out? I mean, that you used the Law?” the kid is stubborn, for god's sake. Isn't there a way to get rid of his ridiculous questions? If only Sanji was imprisoned in a regular way, he wouldn't have to answer all of them.

“I don't know.” the cook shrugs “There are some smart ladies on board, so sooner or later they should.”

He imagines Nami-san and Robin-chan, stunning as always, searching through a bunch of old books and handwritten pages in the Sunny's library, trying to find anything about the Law, however the possibility of finding anything was very little. Regardless, the feeling of the ladies being worried about him made the cook's heart melt. Nami-san surely is beautiful, even when worried, and Robin-chan... he should prepare them a drink as soon as-

Wait, he should've prepared them more drinks when he had the opportuntity to do so. That statement hits harder than Sanji anticipated. He curses himself for not leaving any recipies of drinks for Usopp.

“Do you think they'll go after us?” the young Marine seems to lose his patience slowly “Like, did you plan them going after us when you exchanged yourself?” Sanji freezes for a second, snapping his other eye open.

“Listen to me, kid.” he says quietly, yet making sure his interlocutor won't have problems understanding “The exchange I made is not something that would be violated so easily. It's a thing of one's pride and honour to keep such promise.” he looks the boy straight in the eye “I don't know what your opinion on pirates is, and it'd be a lie if I said I care, but most human beings, regardless if they're Marines or pirates, value their honour. Remember that.” the kid's eyes widen in surprise after Sanji's instant change of attitude. This finally gives the cook a moment of silence.

Franky propably checking if everything's okay with Sunny. Or drinking cola, possibly both at the same time. Sanji doesn't know him for too long, yet he likes the cyborg – his attitude, the way he always prolongs the 'r' phone, and his admirable shipwrighting skills that even The Great Captain Usopp couldn't match. Chopper, either sitting in his room, studying god-knows-what from his books, a hard work that Sanji highly appreciated every time he returned from a fight, or goofying around the deck with Luffy and Usopp, laughing out loudly. Sanji'd give anything to hear them laugh like that once more. Not that it matters, right now the only laughs he could hope for were the Marine ones, nowhere near as pleasant nor uplifting. A quiet sigh escapes the cook's mouth.

“Would you want them to come for you?” the kid eyes Sanji slowly. The question confuses the said man a little, he hasn't thought of that scenario. The one including his friends chasing the Marines only to get him out of this, but know that the kid said it, they might try. Luffy would try.

“Of course I would.” he stands up and walks towards the kid “I'm not the type of idiot who throws their life away for fun like it's nothing.”

“Yet you did exchange for your friend.” the boy is seemingly frustrated.

“What's your point?” Sanji becomes slightly irritated by his interlocutor's behaviour, trying to understand what he's trying to tell him. The kid sighs deeply, looking him in the eye.

“That's why I told you that you're hard to understand.” he crosses his arms “You exchanged your life for your friend without really thinking of an escape plan, I'm sure you would've attempted to escape at least a couple of times by now, and not considering your friends coming for you. If you say it's a thing of honour, then I guess it would be understandable. That leaves me thinking you have a strong feeling of guilt and wanted to repay your friend for I-have-no-clue-what, yet you say that you're not throwing away your life so easily. So tell me, why exactly did you do that?”

One second, two, three before Sanji realises what's actually going on. He walks even closer to the metal bars separating him and the boy, giving him a serious look.

“Tell me, kid. Have you ever, by any chance, heard the word 'nakama'?”

  
  


“Usopp! I told you to be careful with the frying pan! What have you done?”

“Hey, Nami, it's not my fault! Luffy barged into the kitchen out of nowhere! I had to get him out, and it all happened while we were struggling!”

“Naami, where's the meat?”

“Be quiet, Luffy! Can't you see we're having problems here? Now we're going to eat charcoal instead of meat?”

“Come, on, Nami! It can't be that bad. Not when it was prepared by the Great Usopp-sama!”

“Navigator-san, I believe that one of my books said eating charcoal once in a while is actually good for one's health.”

“Robin, you too? Come on, it can't be that bad!”

Nami lets out a quiet sigh while examining what a couple of minutes ago was still meat. It's black, crumbles, and smells awfully, nonethless it seems generaly edible if one was really stubborn. Usopp never imagined getting rid of Luffy was such a hard task. Sanji really has infinite patience if he endures this every single day. The food they found prepared and preserved in jars marked “for a rainy day” is long gone, they had to make something themselves. While the sharpshooter was responsible for preparing the meat, Nami and Robin tried to make one of Sanji's salads, basing on his loose scribbles the trio found in the chef's kingdom. The girls did an amazing job, Usopp expected nothing less, however his part...

“So, what are we going to do with... this?” asks the navigator, looking suspiciously at the burned meat “Do we throw it out-”

“No!” Usopp protests quickly “Don't, Nami. It's edible, right?”

“I'm not so sure about that.” the redhead crosses her arms “You see what state they're in. I bet only Luffy can possibly eat it without getting sick afterwards. Besides, we still have lots of supplies, so it won't be a problem if we made new ones.”

The sharpshooter walks towards the pan, picking up one of his own creations and putting it into his mouth. God, it tastes awful when compared to Sanji's cuisine, however overall it wasn't as bad as he imagined it to be. No one says a word when watching him slowly chew and swallow the food.

“It's edible.” he states “Maybe it's not a five-star meal you and Robin are used to thanks to Sanji's attitude towards women, but it's not poisonous, so I don't see the problem. He'd cut our heads off if he knew we threw out food, you know he hates wasting it.” he looks Nami right in the eye “Since it's __his __kitchen, I won't let you violate his rules, even if it means I have to eat it all by myself.”

There's an awkward moment of silence, and Nami looks down slightly, clenching her fists.

“You're right.” she admits “Sanji-kun would hate it.”

“Hey, Usopp!” whines Luffy “Don't tell me you said it all just because you want all the meat for yourself!”

“Of course not, dumbass! How could I possibly eat  that  amount of meat alone? Not everyone shares your stomach's capacity, you know?”

  
  


***  
  
The meal isn't even half as good as Sanji's feasts, there was no doubt to it. Though everyone seemes to act like always – Luffy stealing meat, Zoro drinking more than eating, Chopper and Franky protecting their rations, the girls eating peacefully yet quickly, Usopp can see how his friends _ _ try _ _ to act naturally. It is a pain to see the small changes in their behaviours, like Zoro staying alert the whole time, slightly tensing whenever Sanji or Usopp are mentioned, involuntairly reaching for his swords only to withdraw his hand a split of second later, Robin's slightly concerned look, Nami's hands shaking sice they started preparation on the meal... they are quite good at hiding it, but Usopp is the uncrowned king of liars. There is no way he could miss such slight signals. 

“Hey, Nami.” he says, trying to focus his friends' attention on anything other than their own thoughts “How long do we have left?”

“Five days.” the reply is instant “Plus three, if we're lucky.”

_ _ If we're lucky. _ _ Usopp sighs deeply. This begins to feel like a race with time, to be honest. At their maximal pace, using most of their cola supplies the navigator estimates their arrival in five days. Meaning, there's no chance they'll catch up to the ship. They'll have to raid the whole damn Marine base.

  
  


'That pirate makes no sense. Completely no sense.' the statement echoes in his mind. It's so ridiculous for a grown-up man like the captive to believe in the whole nakama-nonsense, for god's sake. That makes him either a na ï ve, poor man or an idiot, and since he's a pirate, he's more likely to be an idiot. To throw your life away for someone you trust, only to get your back stabbed, he almost felt sorry for the captured cook.  Almost.  If only the man didn't start to spit out the whole bullshit about friendship, the young Marine would propably start liking that man- stop, feeling compassion towards him. 

_“Tell me, kid. Have you ever, by any chance, heard the word 'nakama'?” The said 'kid' stiffens, his only reply being the clenched fists. Seeing his reaction, the pirate raises an eyebrow slightly, yet continues to speak. “When you have something that's shitty precious to you, you protect it. That's how it works.”_

_“Protecting something with your life makes no sense.” the Marine stops his interlocutor “What good it is to protect when you die in exchange? You won't get anything in return, more likely you'll get forgotten in no time.”_

_ The pirate cocks his head, visibly concerned. _

_“There are some things worth being protected with your life. And as far as I know, what you do get in return is the safety of what you treasure.”_

_“It's not permanent, though.”_

_“It's not. But it may be enough for them to live long enough to fulfill their dreams. And even if they forget me during their adventures, it'd propably be for the best.”_

_“Them. Your so-called nakama.”_

_“That's right. It's not like I want to be forgotten, I told you earlier. I don't want to be mourned, especially by them.”_

_“Don't you think it's a little naïve of you to think anyone will mourn you when you're gone?”_

_“What makes you say that?” the cook frowns “Wouldn't you get upset after losing a friend?”_

The boy should have expected that. No normal person would use the Law. It was something created for fools believing in friendship. As if pirates didn't know one another, in the end always stabbing each other's backs. There was no way the captive's crew was going to come after him. 

_“Don't worry, I'll be back in no time.” the man assured him, smiling widely as soon as the kid's money-filled pouch landed in his hand “Just wait for me here. I'll take her to the doctor and come for you. It's a promise.”_

“Hey, youngster.” Bastille's voice brings him back to reality “Remembering __that __again-dara?”

The young Marine flinches, not knowning when exactly did he get lost in his thoughts. A slight nod towards the Vice Admiral makes the said man sigh loudly. He walks a few steps closer to his subordinate.

“It's good to go deep inside your min donce in a while, but don't relive that too often.” he gives the kid a serious look “It's no use-dara. And for your earlier request, I decided it won't hurt to free our captive from his restraints – he's not a Devil Fruit user, so even if he started to put up a fight, which he most propably won't, we wouldn't have problems stopping him. We're surrounded by the ocean, after all-dara. However, tell him that he'd be restrained again as soon as we reach the base.”

“Understood.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter!  
Yes, there was a lot of talking about feelings, friendship and stuff in here, I guess I just wanted to write some of that stuff in order to get some things out of my mind, well at least for me it was quite pleasant. I hope you lliked it though. Please let me know your opinion in the comments. I'd appreciate a piece of advice if something's wrong.  
Thank you for choosing my story,  
Angel1622


	4. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Usopp has nightmares, but this one is different. Meanwhile, the Marine kid relives his past again, wanting to make sure the captured idiot finally realizes he's been abandoned by his so-called friends.

He's there,  _again._ In the middle of the street, surrounded by Marines. Guns pointed at his head. He looks around, waiting for them to shoot. He should've listened to Sanji. Knowing what's coming up next, he tries to stand up and run. Run to the Sunny so the Marines won't find him. Or get shot right at the spot, anything but reliving  _that._ As expected, he can't even flinch. Fuck! If he doesn't do something, Sanji will-

It's too late. Usopp knows that when he hears the Transponder Snail ring. Curse it, he doesn't want to hear it even once more. The sharpshooter shouts as loudly as possible in order to drown the Snail out. So the commander won't hear Sanji, but his scream is only a quiet whisper that no one pays attention to. Damn it! Usopp closes his eyes, hearing  _ _ those  _ _ _ words. _

“Ius ad invicem, bitch.” 

When Usopp opens his eyes, there are no Marines, no streets, no cities, nothing. Panic starts to rise as the sharpshooter looks around, finding himself completely alone, surrounded by the darkness only.

“You failed me, Usopp.” he hears it. Sanji's voice, behind his back. He's standing right behind him, yet Usopp can't turn around. He stays still, clenching his fists in weakness. The cook's right there, yet he can only listen to him.

“Sanji.”

“I told you to run. You didn't listen.”

“I was worried about you.”

“About me?” there's a quiet sigh “You dumbass, I don't need _your_ protection. Who does anyway?”

“Don't say it like that, Sanji.” Usopp starts to feel uneasy hearing his friend say such words. Of course, he wasn't the strongest, and surely a lot weaker than Sanji, but the cook would _never_ mock him about it. He always supported his dream of becoming the brave warrior of the seas.

“I'm only telling the truth. You're pathetic, not being able to follow the simplest instructions.”

“They'd catch you! You know it. There was too many of them even for you to handle!”

“You never know that.” he can hear Sanji shrugging “But thanks to you I had to surrender without a fight. And now they can do as they please with me. Do you really think I would allow that if your miserable life wasn't on stake? God, if it wasn't Luffy who cares about such weaklings, I would leave you then and there without hesitation.” That hurt a lot more than Usopp could imagine, even though he subconsciously knew it's no the real Sanji he's talking to. He can't quite come up with a response.

“And now.” Sanji continues “I'm going to get killed by some no-name Marines, without the chance of reaching All Blue. All thanks to you, the number one failure of the crew.”

“Stop it, Sanji!” Usopp can't bear hearing this anymore. It's not true, it's not true, it's not true! “We're coming for you. We're definitely going to get you out of this!”

“You? Raiding a Marine base? Don't make me laugh, you'll get caught in a split of second. Can you see how they take Chopper and Franky to their scientists so they can cut them both into slices and run tests on their bodies?” Usopp starts shaking at the very thought of the view.

“Don't say it. They're strong, We all are.”

“Can you see how Nami-san and Robin-chan become that filthy men's pleasure slaves? How they're forced to satisfy their needs?” the sharpshooter can almost hear pity in Sanji's voice.

“Stop, Sanji!” he begs, desperately trying to cover his ears with his hands.

“Can you see the mosshead bleeding to death? With all those cuts around his body, and that one on his neck...” Usopp hears a hiss “He's going to be out in a couple of minutes, propably cursing you for getting him into this shit. Oh, and there's Luffy...”

“I said STOP!”

“He's at the execution platform, how fitting. Look him in the eye, can you see this utter disappointment? Can you see the pity he looks at you with, the cuffs, the sword cutting his precious head off-”

“STOOOP!” the shout is so loud Usopp himself is surprised. He snaps his eyes open, breathing heavily. Yes, his on the Sunny, in his factory, waking up from a nightmare. _Again._ He falls asleep at the table, working at some gadgets to get his mind off _that thing,_ and then that nightmare... it's a pattern that has been repeating for a couple of days already, however until now he had only relived the whole scene, tonight was different, was worse.

The door snaps open, and Usopp's eyes meet Nami's concerned look.

“Usopp. What happened?” she asks, looking around the room as if looking for anything suspicious. Something in the way she pronounced his name, however, makes the sharpshooter feel there's no need to reply.  
“A nightmare.” he mumbles, looking down “It's nothing.”

“It's not nothing if you start screaming like someone tried to skin you.” she cocks her head “I know you hadn't slept well in a while, but today was even worse, wasn't it? Your hands are still shaking.”

Usopp nods, knowing that further resistance would be useless. Once Nami sets her mind on something, it's really hard to stop her, and he didn't quite posess the strength to do so. He leans back in his chair, looking closely at his trembling hands. Calm down, for god's sake, it was just a nightmare. What he said wasn't real.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asks, frowning slightly. She knows exactly what he needed the most, that girl. Usopp smiled politely, straightening up.

“Not really.” he gives her the most assuring grin possible “I'm totally fine. It was just a nightmare. It's over now.”

If Usopp ever had to admit the worst pain he'd endured in his life, it'd propably be lying to his friends.

  
  


“Wow!” the kid seems delighted “You told me you're a cook and all, but that's just another level of cooking!” God, he swallows just as much food as Luffy.

“Shitty delicious, right?” a small smirk appears on Sanji's face. When the Marines let him use the kitchen, as the kid promised, the cook did nothing to stop himself from creating the best feast he possibly could out of the available ingredients. Being able to prepare food one last time makes him quite sad, but he's grateful for the opportunity. His only regret is that the one's to eat it won't be Luffy and the others... they'd fucking love it. There's even the captain's favourite meat, Sanji smiles sadly. A whole lot of it.

“You're friends are really lucky to have you as their cook!”

“They were indeed.” after those words being said, the kid seems to lose his enthusiasm a little for a moment. Than he starts eating again.

“That must've been why they kept you on board the whole time.” he assumes, putting another piece of meat in his mouth.

Sanji frowns, walking towards the young Marine.

“What's your point, kid?” he says angrily “Of course they cherished my cooking, but it's not like it was their only reason to keep me on board. Why do you keep doubting our relationship every time it's mentioned?” he sees his interlocutor tense a little “What have you been through?”  
“None of your business. Now get out.” the young Marine gives Sanji an icy stare “It's an order.” the cook snorts hearing those words, but eventually turns away.

“Make sure you eat everything.” he says leaving the room “I won't forgive you if you waste any. I'll be heading towards my cell.”

'As if you're in any position to talk to me, pirate.' thinks the boy angrily, focusing back on his meal.

  
  


_ Ruined houses. Screaming children. Burning forest. Explosions. _

_ Pirates. _

_“Niro! Niro!” he shouts, looking for his younger sister. She had to survive the attack, she had to be alive..._

_ A weak voice replies his shouts. The ruins! He runs as fast as possible, reaching the demoloshed house. Collapsed roof, cracked windows, northern and eastern walls no longer exist, turned into piles of stones covering what a few hours ago was the main room. And blood, a lot of blood. _

_“..'ere. I'm... 'ere!” he instantly looks in the direction the voice is coming from._

_ She's there, thank God she's alive! Trapped under a few smaller stones, he quickly get rid of them. Than he sees it. The extent of her damage. Shattered legs, bones cutting through the pale skin, bruises and blood. He starts to panick, picking her up and running out of the house. The intense smell of smoke burns through his nosetrills.Their way of escape had been blocked. _

_ Hooves. A horse, yes. A cart, familiar one. _

_“There you are!” a voice. There's help._

_“Uriko!” the kid smiles widely “Over here, help us!”_

_ It's going to be okay now, he tells himself. If there's a person he can trust, it's Uriko. His friend, wait, best friend. Almost like an older brother. He'll help them both. _

_“Nori! She needs your help, now!” a strange look from Uriko. What is wrong?_

_“I can carry only one person at a time. And the city's going to be destroyed in a moment! She's dying. Leave her behind.” What. What was he saying? Is it one of his bad jokes? The one's that always made Nori laugh while annoying her brother? No, Uriko is serious this time, he's sure of it._

_“Are you insane? She needs. Your. Help!”_

_“Okay, I'll take her, then. But you'll have to wait here for me.” meaning, he has to survive that long. Surrounded by the fire, explosions and pirates._

_“I get it.” he puts on a brave face “Just get her somewhere safe. Here's my money, try to get her a doctor. Quickly!”_

_“Don't worry, I'll be back in no time.” the man assured him, smiling widely as soon as the kid's money-filled pouch landed in his hand “Just wait for me here. I'll take her to the doctor and come for you. It's a promise.”_

_“Of course it is. We're friends, right?”_

_“Right.”_

  
  


Every passing day is worse, Usopp can sense it. The atmosphere on the deck is so tense he believes a little more and he could cut it with one of Sanji's knives. He meets Nami's shady eyes. She'd just waken up, but there's no way to get decent sleep now. Everyone feels the same way, the sharpshooter is sure. Even Zoro stopped taking his constant naps, spending most of his time training as if nothing else mattered. Robin locked herself up in the library, reading. Chopper doesn't leave his room, studying all of his books one by one as if he's looking at them for the first time. Franky and Luffy are nowhere to be seen. Everyone tries to be as busy as possible, to get their thoughts away from...  _ it.  _ Three days left, three more days and Sanji will arrive at the base. They're not going to catch up sooner than in four. The thought alone makes Usopp nauseous. They can't use Coup De Burst, Franky said they'll need the cola to escape, but what sense will be there in escaping if they arrive too late?

'Stop thinking like that!' he rebukes himself 'We're going to make it. We have to.'

The only time of the day when the crew meets is during the meals. Not that they eat much, though, no one is really hungry but Nami and Chopper insist on nutriting their bodies properly so that they'll be in top shape when they confront the Marines. Secretely Usopp believes that it may be the only reason anyone eats. The thought alone makes him nauseous.

“Usopp, it's your time to have some rest.” Nami sounds tired and tensed “I'll take the next watch.”

“Sure, thanks.” he smiles weakly, heading to the men's room. The room looks like a total mess, nothing unusual there. Usopp makes his way to his bed and lies down, covering himself with a blanket. Hopefully no one else's here, so he can finally let the tears run down his face. It's all his fault, damn it! He was too weak! 

'Even though everyone says I shouldn't burden myself, how can I not? Should I act like 'Hey, guys, I got into trouble so Sanji turned himself in in order to save my weak ass, so let's still be friends like nothing happened.'? That's just ridiculous.'

He sighs. Four more days. All that's left before they get Sanji back, and he'll be able to apologize properly. To repay the debt, if that's even possible.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter!  
Yes, this chapter might be a little angsty, but I had to feel something like that to feel slightly better. I'm not sure myself why did I put the Marine kid's backstory here, the fic would be alright without it I suppose. Perhaps an inner part of me urged to justify his incomprehension towards Sanji, oh well. Anyway, I feel like the following updates are going to be faster since about a two chapters length of random stuff I want to happen is ready on my laptop. I hope you'll stay with me until the very end!  
Thank you for choosing my story,  
Angel1622


	5. Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bond between Sanji and the Marine kid grow stronger as they get to know each other's secrets. Meanwhile, the rest of the Strawhats have to deal with an unexpected burden.

_ The smoke is everywhere. He can't breathe. Where's Uriko? He promised to come back, so where is he? Did he not see him? He should've returned by now. The fire is really close, his eyes sting from the smoke. Air, he needs air... his throat burns. Uriko, where are you? _

_“Over there, Bastille-san!” someone shouts “It's a kid! He's alive!”  
“Take him to the ship-dara.” the kid flinches. He promised to wait. He can't leave now. Still, his eyelids feel so heavy, and he can't force himself to open them once more._

_“Shit, he collapsed!”_   
  


“I want to talk to you about your friends.” he says, giving the pirate a serious look. The cook raises an eyebrow.

“Did you change your mind then?” he smirks slightly. That bastard, thinking he knows it all better.

“Not really. Just wanted to see things from a different point of view.” he says, crossing his arms. “What you've been saying seemed funny to me at first, but after giving a second thought I think you might not be as dumb.” the cook frowns after hearing the last words and lets out a quiet sigh.

“What exactly do you want to know about them?”

“Anything.” he shrugs “Just tell me about how your relations work.”

“I thought that you can quite see how.” the cook cocks his head, carefully examining his hands.

“Are there any examples of them doing the same for you?” seeing his interlocutor think for a longer moment makes him both smirk victoriously and feel a bitter taste at the back of his tongue. The idiot finally realised he'd sacrificed himself for nothing, yet some part of the kid really hoped for the story about friendship to be real. To prove that he's the one who's been wrong.

“My captain did, a bunch of times, actually. He always takes on the strongest opponents, protecting us. A certain swordsman would be too lazy to move his ass if I said I'm in trouble, but hopefully I won't when it comes to him.” he smiles sadly “Our sniper is not the bravest man I met, but I've never seen anyone fighting so fiercely with their own fears. He actually wanted to stop me from ending up here, you know? Our doctor... he works his ass off till unconscious when treating us. If not him, we'd be long dead. The shipwright has just joined so I can't be sure about him, but he's already proven his strength. And I can't expect the ladies to do anything for me – they're a sancity that has to be protected at all costs. Whoever dares to use a woman as a shield is nothing but trash.”

The kid needs a moment to put his thoughts together. What the pirate said, was it all the truth? Friendship should be a temporary bond, always able to break when times get too ugly... shouldn't it?

“Are you sure you aren't overestimating them?” shit, he couldn't hide a slight tremble in his voice.

“I'd never lie about such an important matter.” the pirate's eyes narrow. Shit, why does he feel this way? Is he really going to believe that man?

“Tell me more.”

“No unless you tell me what you've been through.” the boy tenses immidiately. How dare that pirate think it's just as easy to recall all thse memories? “Don't worry, I'm taking it to the grave anyway, if you hadn't noticed. If you feel uncomfortable about it, I can later tell you a story I also want nobody to know about. I see something's really bothering you, it's almost painful to watch, you know?” he gives him a smile. He wants to know. He's the first one who does.

“You know that I can lie to you if I want.” shit, stop trembling.

“Of course you can.” the pirate doesn't seem to take his comment seriously “So, will you tell me?”

The kid takes a deep breath. Can that pirate be trusted? No, definitely not, so why does he feel like telling him is a good idea? Because no one ever asked, no one cared. Of all people, a pirate giving a damn about him, that's just funny, yet he feels different than other pirates, more... normal?

Inhale, exhale.. _._   
  


_“Oh God, he's finally awake!”_

_“Shh! Don't shout in the infirmary, dumbass! And get Vice Admiral Bastille, he wanted to see him as soon as he comes to.”_

_ He opens his eyes. Everything around him is white. Is it heaven? No, if it was heaven, he wouldn't feel the pain. He looks around, examining his surroundings. His bed, a window and a curtain, propably separating him from another bed, and a Marine looking at him with deep concern. So it's a hospital– it's not, hospitals don't float. So a Marine ship's infirmary. Which meant– _

_“Where's Nori? And Uriko? Are they safe?” he sits up in his bed so rapidly everything goes black for a moment._

_“Woah, don't strain yourself like that, kid!” the man walks to him “You've been out for a day, don't strain yourself.” A day?_

_“My sister... my friend... they...” he tries to put his thoughts together despite the black spots dancing all around his vision._

_“Hey, look at me. Are you even from this island? What's you na–“_

_“That's enough, soldier. Let me talk to the kid in person-dara.” a tall, orange-haired man with a scary mask stands in the kid's vision. He flinches involuntairly. And why did ge just say '–dara'?_

_“Oh, youngster.” the man seems to only have noticed the kid's prescence just now. “Don't be afraid-dara. No one here is going to hurt you. I'm Vice Admiral Bastille, and I command this ship. Once you are dismissed from here, you can feel at home before we reach the next port._

_“What about my sister? And Uriko?” the kid clenches his fists._

_“We found a man named Uriko, he was escaping the city on a cart, but denied to know anything about other people trapped in the village, so we let him go. He's propably still on the island.”_

_“And Nori?” the kid feels his eyes itching “There was a girl in his cart. Her name is Nori. She's my sister.” for a moment, the tall man didn't say anything, just sat at the edge of the kid's bed._

_“I'm really sorry kid, but there was no one else on the cart.” he finally speaks up._

***  
  


The kid looks at the cook, his eyes wide opened. 

“Is that for real? But how–“ he tries to find the right words.

“I told you, you share your secret and I share mine.” the pirate smiles sadly “Doesn't that make us friends?” The kid freezes, understanding what the cook has just said. Friends?

“What do you mean by 'friends'” he raises his voice “I barely know you! And a Marine can't befriend a pirate!”

“Well, technically I don't hate you, and I share your secret, right? That makes me your friend.” a small smirk dances around the corners of his mouth. “Isn't that a nice feeling? And by the way, the name's Sanji if you haven't already figured.”

“Sanji.” the kid repeats like an echo, a wide grin spreading all across his face “I get it.”

“Hey, kid!” they hear a voice calling “Vice Admiral wants to see you. Hurry yoour ass up!” 

“Guess I have to go.” he looks at his new friend “Thank you, Sanji.”

“You're shitty welcome, kid. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind.”

  
  


“Sanji-kun is going to arrive tomorrow. We're going to reach the base he day after.” Nami's glance was dead serious “Let's make sure everyone knows what to do.” She smirks, recalling the moment they first came up with a plan of some sorts.

_“We have to come up with a plan to get him out in one piece without being sliced by the Marines, and by chance not do any damage to the Sunny!” she said, crossing her arms_

_ The sentence immidiately drags attention of the whole crew. _

_“Plan?” A shade of smirk dances around the corners of Robin's mouth._

_“One piece?” Luffy's eyes sparkle._

_“Slice up?” for a moment, Zoro stops sharpening his blades, visibly interested in the navigator's words._

_“Damage?” Chopper looks out of his room._

_“Sunny Go?” Franky turns his head into Nami's direction._

_“You're impossible, guys.” Usopp sighs, turning to Nami. “But at least while everyone's listening we can think about what to do once we get to the base.”_

“Okay! I'm gonna kick those Marines' asses!” shouts Luffy, throwing his fists in the air.

“Yes, yes, we know that.” Usopp calms him down “Just don't go to deep inside so you can return to Sunny any moment.”

“Understood!” the captain salutes, making a serious expression 

“I'm still not sure if making Luffy a bait would be a good idea” sighs the navigator “He's a Devil Fruit user, after all, and Marines have lots of Sea-Prism Stone equipment.”

“That's precisely why you're going to accompany him, navigator-san.” Robin assured her with a smile “Captain-san is strong, but if he gets into trouble I'm sure you'll help him.”

Nami just stays silent. Becoming a bait is not something she's used to nor wants to do. But the truth is, Luffy would never sit quietly, and he needs someone without Devil Fruit powers beside him. Franky and Usopp were out of the question as he has to stay on Sunny and prepare everything for Coup De Burst, besides Nami can quite feel how badly the sharpshooter wants to stay on the ship, not that she blames him. Even though it's been what feels like forever since Sanji-kun got caught, the man still has nightmares. That left her and Zoro. Everyone unanimously voted for separating the captain and first mate, as putting them together in one team would make little sense since they're here only to retrieve the captured cook. This way, the only choice that's left is Nami.

“I'm going to prepare the infirmary as best I can!” Chopper's eyes burned with determination “We don't know what state will Sanji be in, so I have to be prepared for the worst!”

“I and swordsman-san are going to retrieve cook-san.” said Robin, looking at Zoro.

“Whatever.” snorts the swordsman “Just get that idiot back on board. He could stop holding us down for once.”

“We know, we know.” assures him Nami. Robin was perfect for the task of retrieving Sanji-kun, and Zoro... well, it's not like he was of any use on board, and someone has to carry the cook if they find him unconscious. 

“I and Usopp-bro are going to be superrr prepared for Coup De Burst!” says Franky, grinning.

“That's right!” Nami smiles “Looks like everyone is prepared. We're definitely going to get Sanji-kun back!”

Even Zoro and Robin seem to smirk a little when hearing the navigator's statement. Franky and Chopper throw their fists in the air, and Usopp sighs with relief, looking like a wieght has just been taken off his shoulders. Nami also grins, trying to keep her cool while for the first time seeing the future in bright colours. She turns around and looks up at the sky.

And then she freezes, noticing that the wind's current has changed, and black clouds are coming right at the Thousand Sunny.

“Everybody, get ready!” she shouts, visibly surprising her crewmates “There's a storm coming right at us!”

Everyone is at their positions in an instant, but the wind and waves are stronger than anyone could anticipate. Hopefully Zoro and Franky manage to roll up the sails before the strongest gusts hit the ship. Nami tries to hold the steering wheel in place, but soon she can only look at it in awe, spinning around with an insane speed, making the whole Sunny turn in various directions. 

“Shit, Luffy! Help me!” she cries, but wind drowns her out. Shit! Why does that have to happen now? In the corner of her eye she can see Chopper being hit by a wave and moving dangerously close to the railing, turining back to his small self. Without a second though, Nami jumps towards him, holding the doctor in a steel embrace when another wave hits them. She feels the air escaping her lungs, and everything goes dark.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter!  
Surprise, surprise! No one saw two of my stories being updated the same day coming, I guess. Let's say I just wanted to give September a good start as from now the updates will slow down, sorry for that but other priorities showed up lately (my bad). Nonethless, the stories ARE going to be updated, I'd hate to abandon them as there already is a bunch of great yet unfinished ones that I wish were completed. Back to the work, I guess the Marine kid's story isn't a crucial part here and I could've easily skipped it, but a part of my mind was like "hey, let's make it a bit personal" so here we are. By the way, I have problems upadting new chapters - sometimes when I paste a chapter's text and preview it, the italics get all messed up, I mean what's meant to be in italics is... well, not in italics, and vice versa (I hope you'll get what I mean though the explanation is A+). Has anyone had this problem, or perhaps found a solution? Technical problems aside, I hope you'll follow the story until it's very end.  
Thank you for choosing my work,  
Angel1622


	6. Up against the wall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Sanji arrives at the Marine base, the Strawhats find themselves away from their destination. They'll have to use whatever drastic measures they've got.

“Nami!” she hears Usopp's voice “Hey, Nami! Wake up already! We're in serious trouble!”

The navigator opens her eyes, noticing she's in the infirmary. The sharpshooter is shaking her gently, trying to bring her back to consciousness.

“Usopp. What happened?” she asks, sitting up in the bed.

“You got struck by a wave and passed out. Meanwhile, the storm took us hell-knows-where, hopefully Robin managed to find our location on one of her maps. We need your help, because you see... we deviated from the course. A lot?”

“What?” Nami feels a weight forming in her stomach. This can't be happening, not when they were so close. Not when Sanji-kun was within their reach. “Usopp! Take me to Robin, quickly! I have to see those maps!”

  


“It's time to go, pirate.” says the tall man. Vice Admiral, if Sanji remembers correctly “We're reaching our destination in a couple of minutes. That said, I'm going to restrain you again.”

Sanji doesn't say a word, but obeys the Marine, holding out his hands. Feeling the cold Sea-Prism on his skin takes him back to that street, when he said his goodbyes to Usopp. He hopes the sharpshooter remembered all the instructions. Of course they're going to find themselves another cook who's going to have their own rules in the kitchen... for some reason the thought hurts. What would that person be like? Will they care about Nami-san and Robin-chan as much as he did? Will they keep Luffy properly nutrited? Of course they will, he shakes his head. Luffy's got a good nose to pick his crewmates. He would never take someone irresponsible.

“Come.” the command gets Sanji out of his thoughts. He takes a deep breath, following the Vice Admiral. He feels the stares of other Marines on him. _J__ust like back then_. Come on, stare, he thinks, smirking. Not everyday you find a pirate obeying a Marine like a dog. Once they leave the deck, the cook examines the base. It looks though, high rock walls and a steel gate, now opened. Two rows of Marine soldiers form a path for Bastille and Sanji.

“Well, I'm going to stay here until your execution, but since it's the last time we meet, Black Leg.” The Vice Admiral speaks quietly so only the cook can hear him “That base's commander is Vice Admiral Forg-dara. Once you cross this gate, you'll get under his supervision.” he lowers his voice, so only Sanji can hear him “Your execution is taking place within the next three days. I'm sure he'll use the power over you for some really unpleasant things.”

Sanji sighs quietly. After Bastille and the other kid were quite nice for him, meaning just letting him be and now actually being polite towards him, he had a little hope that maybe his exchange wouldn't end in a horrible way he imagined it to, however after what the older Marine said, it seemed to wither away.

“Why are you telling me this?” he looks the man in the eye “You know that whatever happens to me is fully legal and justified. That's what I agreed for when exchanging for my friend.”

“I know that.” the man snorts “Just felt like it was a good idea to tell you. Well, I have to go now-dara.” he looks at his watch, determining what time it is “The kid said that your food is delicious. And that you'd make a great chef. It's a good thing that people like you still exist though, willing to sacrifice their lives for a friend-dara.” he puts an arm at Sanji's shoulder. “I guess I should thank you for what you've done for him__.___”_

“Like hell you should. But how would a mighty Vice Admiral look when thanking a lowly pirate?” Sanji smirks, crossing the gate. Now the pleasant part's all over, he guesses.

  


“Damn! Curse it!” Nami trembles with fury. “Why didn't I see it coming earlier?!”

“Nami, calm down!” Usopp is deeply concerned with how his friend reacts “Tell me what's wrong.”

“We're a day away from the point the storm hit us!” the navigator clenches her fist and punches the wall “To put it simply, we lost a day! A whole day, Usopp!” The sharpshooter feels his limbs giving up under him, but he manages to hold still. A day? In situation every hour matters, losing a day seems like losing everything.

“So, sister Nami, what arrre we going to do?” Franky gives her a worried look “Should we use Coup De Burrrst now?”

“It'd spare us about twelve hours of sailing.” Nami bites her lip and thinks intensely for a moment “Normally I'd spare the cola for our escape, but under our current circumstances it might be our only choice...” she looks down. Even though no one says a word, the unspoken ending is obvious.

_ ...but then we won't be able to escape from the Marines. They'll most propably catch us. _

“Well, navigator-san.” Robin stands up “I believe you know that arriving sooner saving cook-san is a better option than arriving late only to find him dead. I'll go tell captain-san about the changes in our plan.”  
  


“As you could already figure, I'm Vice Admiral Forg.” the man chuckles while introducing himself “And you belong to me, am I right?”

Sanji gives the man an icy stare, struggling in his restraints. The Marine guiding him said that the commander wanted to see him instantly, so they threw him in a cell and tied up to a chair. Marine hospitality . Sanji's positive that they've never met before, yet he already hates everything about the man. The way he moves, talks, laughs, it all gives him a very unpleasant feeling. The feeling of truly being someone's property. Yes, for the first time Sanji really feels like his body is no longer his when he looks at that man. What's so special about him? A punch to the cheek brings him back to reality.

“I asked you a question.” the man seems frustrated “Am I right?”

“Like hell you are.” the cook snorts, eyeing Forg once more. A typical Marine ruffian, he doesn't even seem strong, so what's so special about him?

“Looks like someone doesn't know their place.” the Vice Admiral leans forward, giving the pirate a wide grin. And that's when Sanji realizes what's so wrong about this man.

He smells just like Sanji would imagine _ death. _The cook can't stop himself from flinching.

“Seems like someone's realised who they're dealing with.” Forg chuckles once more. “You know what, Black Leg, I could just force you to tell me everything you know about your crew since you belong to me now, but we'll play a game, what do you think?” he waves something Sanji can't quite identify until a characteristic _clang _can't be heard.

_ Pliers. _

“Let me explain the rules to you.” the Marine clears his throat “I'm going to ask you exactly ten questions. You can either answer them or not, it's up to you. If you stay silent or I find your answer not true, I'll have to use my tools.” clang “But before we start, I'll ask you three warm-up questions that I'd like you to answer. They're not hard and I already know the answers so there's no use lying. Is everything clear so far?”

Sanji nods nervously, carefully tracking the pliers with his eyes. He doesn't need to ask what Forg meant by using his tools. The Marine smiles politely.

“See? I knew you were a smart one. First question: Who's your captain?”

“Monkey D. Luffy.”

“Correct.” Forg nods “Second question: what's his current bounty?”

“300 million berries.”

“Also correct.” another nod full of approval “Last question: what's his characteristic symbol?”

“His straw hat.”  
“Another correct one!” the Marine chuckles “See? The game's pretty easy, isn't it? Now that the warm-up is over, let's begin the real fun, shall we?” Sanji nods slightly, seeing he's expected to do so. That doesn't mean he's going to cooperate further. He licks his lips nervously, giving the pliers another glance. No matter what happens, he has to stay strong. For them.

“So, tell me, Black Leg, who told you about the Law of Exchange? The Admirals are willing to see that person as soon as possible.” he grins, leaning forward and whispering to Sanji's ear “I'm sure they can't wait to meet them.”

_“Hey, geezer! Look at that!” Sanji pointed his finger at an article in the newspaper “What does that mean, the Law of Exchange?”_

_“Eggplant.” Zeff became more serious than usual “Give me the paper, for god's sake.”_

_ After a while, the young cook loses his patience. How can the old man ignore him, leaving his question without response? _

_“Geezer! What does that mean? They only wrote that the pirate who used it had been executed. What did he use it for, if he died anyway? Hey!”_

_“Shut up for once, brat!” the old chef raised his voice “The Law of Exchange is a matter of one's honour, don't you ungrateful kid dare talk about it so lightly!”_

“I get your silence as an 'I can't remember.'” Forg fakes a worried expression “Don't worry, we have plenty of time here, try to recall the whole situation. So?” Sanji grits his teeth, shaking his head slightly. The Marine sighs. “Look, I don't intend to harm you unless you really want it. You've done well during the warm-up, so let's say I'll give you a last chance. Come on, tell me who told you about it.”

“I don't remember.” Sanji shrugs, trying to act as though he doesn't see the pliers “Some random person I crossed when I was younger.”

Forg grimaces slightly, shaking his head and taking one of Sanji's hands. He places the pliers around his small finger.

“Don't fuck with me, pirate. They say that the thumb hurts the most.” says Forg “I'll try to avoid pulling it out, so we'll start from this one, okay?” Sanji squeezes his eyes shut, waiting for the sharp stab of pain, but it never comes. Instead, the Vice Admiral pulls it out _really _slowly, almost gently. Sanji can't stop himself from hissing when his flesh becomes slowly exposed, pain burning all his conscious braincells. Suddenly, the Marine stops.

“Oh dear, it hurts really badly, huh?” Sanji nods sharply, taking deep breaths “I told you to answer me. Do you want me to stop?”

Of course Sanji wants him to. The bastard wasn't even done with one of his nails and the pain was already overwhelming. He blinked several times, trying to relax.

“Don't disturb yourself. I told you I don't know a fucking thing.” Forg frowns deeply, but Sanji can see he's actually pleased with the answer. The man enjoys it.

“Well then, let's continue, shall we?”

  


“Eeh?!” Luffy's eyes widen “We've moved away from Sanji?!”

“Everythng looks like it, captain-san.” says Robin calmly “That's why navigator-san suggests to use Coup De Burst, nonethless if we do so a quick escape would be rather impossible.” Nami holds her breath, looking at Luffy's changing expression. He cocks his head a little, frowning.

“Then I and Zoro will kick their asses, right?” he crosses his arms “I don't really see the problem, Robin.”  
“That's good, captain.” the archeologist smiles “In that case, I guess there's no use in further waiting, am I correct?” Luffy nods vividly in response.

“FRANKY!” he shouts “Let's use Coup De Burst!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter!  
Finally, I got a little time for myself so I could write something, and here you are, you're welcome haha. I'm sorry if you hoped for this story to be completely violence-free, but I just felt like putting a Marine sadist in here, a high ranked one that would be rotten to the core, nonethless I believe it's going to be the only violent scene in the story, excluding it's continuation in the next chapter. Don't forget to leave an opinion whether you liked this chapter or not. I hope you'll like the following one just as much, or better.  
Thank you for choosing my work,  
Angel1622


	7. The day before the raid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you read:
> 
> I apologize for the not-really-planned break in writing. It took way longer than I anticipated to finish the following chapter, for reasons I'd rather not talk about for now, but the most important thing is - I'm back to writing and you can expect updates on my other works soon. This chapter does contain violence, however if you survived the previous one I'm sure you won't mind. 
> 
> I wish you a good lecture and enjoyable time exploring the story.

“Time to go, pirate.” he hears a voice, and some hands grab him up, forcing to stand up. “Vice Admiral prepared something special for you.”

'Wonderful.' crosses Sanji's mind, a quiet voice at the back of his mind whispering that whatever's coming up can't be pleasant. Someone pushes him violently, almost making him fall. He gets the message, it's time to go  _somewhere._ The cook raises his cuffed hands slightly, making sure the broken fingers don't make contact with anything but air. While being led through the corridors, he catches himself on subconsciously counting the taken turns. A good habit if he wanted to run away. Unfortunately, not this time though. After a minute he finally sees it.

A wooden cross-shaped pole placed in the middle of the large square. Nothing else. Sanji frowns, looking around. No more entrances, no holes, only stone walls. And Marines' patrolling the area from the top.

“Move.” one of the guards pushes the cook forward. The pirate snorts, walking towards the pole. Once he arrives, he's turned around and pushed so that his back hits the wood. Strong hands grab his forearms, and he can feel the cuffs being taken off. The Marine standing in front of him grabs his throat, making Sanji fight for air. The others tie his arms to the cross', making sure the ropes are a little too tight to make the pirate comfortable, sons of a gun. The same goes for his ankles and thighs.

“Oh, look at you.” the man finally lets go of Sanji's throat “The mighty Black Leg Sanji, 77 million bounty, letting some low-life Marines tie him up like a sheep led to slaughter. If that's not pathetic, then I don't know what is.” the last words are followed by his subordinates' laughter. Sanji coughs and gasps, letting as much air inside his lungs as possible. It seems to amuse the Marine, who smiles widely, giving the cook a victorious glance.

“Idiots like you would never understand how the simplest rules work.” he bites back “It requires more than those two braincells of yours to add two to two. I'm amazed you even made it to the unit. I bet Forg took you to amuse him.” a strong punch in his gut makes Sanji gasp loudly.

“Don't be so cocky.” the man bares his teeth, tying Sanji's neck to the pole, forcing the cook to look straight at him. “You're our property now. We still have a wonderful day ahead of us. I'll make sure you won't get any food nor water anymore. And by the way, I wouldn't fall asleep if I were you. I'm pretty sure you'll strangle if your legs give up. Enjoy your sunbath, fucker.”

  
  


The kid bites his lip, standing in front of his commander. 

“Here's a message from Vice Admiral Forg.” he passes the letter and a small box to Bastille. “He says it's a private one. And that you should open the package once no one else's in the room.”

The said man nods slightly, taking the items and opening the envelope. As the kid watches him read it, he notices how the older Marine tenses. By the end of the letter his fists are clenched tight, yet his voice is calm as always.  
“Tell Vice Admiral Forg that I appreciate his message when you meet him.” he says eventually, hiding the box in one of his desk's drawers. “For now you can go. At ease-dara.”

“Understood.” the kid wants to turn around and leave, but the curiosity takes over him “Bastille-san, I have a question, though it might be highly inappropriate.”

“Yes?” the said man seems interested in his subordinate's sudden change of attitude.

“That message you've just read... was it about San– the exchanged pirate?” there's a moment of really awkward silence following the question. The kid gulps, having the feeling he's just said the one word he shouldn't have.

“You got quite a liking towards that man, right?” Bastille sighs “That's a blessing in disguise, I guess-dara. Yes, it was about him. Is that everything you wanted to ask?”

Of course not, the kid wants to say. He wants to know everything that happens to the pirate. Vice Admiral Forg was quite well-known for his cruelty towards captured criminals, and now that there was the Law... anything he'd do would be legal and justified. The thought alone sends unpleasant shivers down the young marine's spine.

“Do you think that he deserves death?” he grits his teeth as soon as the question is said. He should never doubt his sense of justice, for god's sake. But Sanji was... he said it himself, right? He was his friend.

“Youngster.” Bastille's voice became icy cold “Are you implying that Black Leg Sanji, a wanted criminal who destroyed Enies Lobby, should _not_ be sentenced to death?”

The kid feels a huge weight in his stomach. Of course, he knows that Sanji is a pirate. That he destroyed Enies Lobby in order to save his friend, Nico Robin, a famous assasin, yet imagining the cook murdering or robbing anyone with cold blood is really hard for him. Could he really be such a villain?

“I suppose I should thank him for helping you get over your past.” the older Marine crosses his arms “But don't forget he's not a good person. He might act all good when imprisoned and sentenced to death, but don't be fooled, that doesn't mean he's a nice person. After all, a pirate is a pirate.”

“I'm sure he didn't lie to me.” the kid protests. Sanji couldn't deceive him, right? He sounded so real about everything he said.

“I'm not saying he lied to you, he also seemed honest to me. I'm just saying that it doesn't make him a better person. He hurt a lot of Marines back in Enies Lobby, not to mention he defeated a CP-9 agent-dara.” 

The kid sighs quietly, not knowing what to say. It's not like he wanted to ask Bastille to spare the cook's life, but he had hoped for the older Marine to say he also liked the pirate a bit. After all, Bastille was like a father to him. His opinion mattered.

“Nonethless.” his superior got him out of his thoughts “I doubt that he deserves being under Forg's supervision. Thanks to the Law of Exchange, Vice Admiral might do as he pleases with him. Now you can leave.”

“May I ask you one last question?” asks the kid quickly. “An important one.” he adds, as If those words hightened the possibility of the older Marine's agreement.

“What is it-dara?” Bastille sounds annoyed now, surely wanting to get rid of the kid as soon as possible.

“What's inside the package?” Bastille doesn't immidiately respond. The kid can feel the atmosphere in the room tense. He tries his best not to break the eye contact.

“I hoped you won't ask that one question, kid.” his superior sighs “Inside that package, you see, Forg sent me the pirate's fingernails.”

  
  


“Long-nose-kun.” Robin gently put a hand on Usopp's shoulder “It's about time for supper. Navigator-san said that we'll be arriving at dawn, so it's quite important for everyone to eat it.”

The sharpshooter fells his stomach twitch, putting down his notebook. Thirty two scenarios, thirty two brilliant plans, thirty two ways to apologize to Sanji, that's what he managed to come up with over the past few days, and it didn't feel like enough.

“Yeah, I guess so.” he fakes a smile “It'd be a pity if we had to fight with our stomachs empty, right?”

“Right.” the archeologist nods “By the way, doctor-san has become quite worried about you lately. He said you need to talk to someone before your situation gets worse.”

“He did?” Usopp sighs. It's not like he wants to keep his feeling of guilt a secret, but concerning Chopper was serious. He couldn't allow the reindeer to worry about him anymore, not when the situation is so serious. “Well, in fact I've already spoken with Zoro about it, but it didn't really help.”

“I see.” the woman looks away, lost in her thoughts “Well then, I guess it can't be helped unless we bring cook-san back.”

“Maybe you're right.” Usopp stood up, heading towards the door. “For now, let's just focus on the meal.”

Easier said than done, the sharpshooter notices. For a short moment, everyone's eyes are on him. The atmosphere is extremely tense, the lack of speaking only makes it worse. Nami and Chopper are setting the table, soundlessly counting the dishes. Zoro's sharpening his swords, once in a while looking up to pay the sharpshooter a furtive look. Franky is nowhere to be seen, and Luffy just sits on the lions head. Perhaps it's just Usopp's imagination, but they all seem either extremely focused or stressed out.

“Food's ready.” Nami's voice cuts through the air like a bullet. Usopp blinks, taking his seat and giving the meal a quick glance. Roasted chicken in orange sauce, the navigator has outdone herself this time. Even though it's really good, swallowing every single bite is hard and the food feels like iron in the sharpshooter's stomach. He isn't even halfway done with his rations when the nausea takes over him.

“Thank you for the meal.” he says, moving the plate away “It was great. Luffy, you can eat the rest.”

“Really?!” the captain's eyes sparkle as he quickly grabs the plate and moves it closer to himself “Thanks, Usopp!” The sharpshooter nods, forcing himself to smile slightly, and then meets Zoro and Robin's enquiring looks and Chopper's concerned one. Goddamn, why do they have to gaze at him that way? He is alright, it was just that... he's scared. _Terrified._ It doesn't matter that a part of him knew they are going to get Sanji back in one piece, or that Luffy promised him that a couple of times already – it's just impossible to get rid of the feeling of emptiness in his insides. And the heaviness of his limbs. All he wants to do now is to curl into a ball and wait for the rest to retireve Sanji, but he has to be there for them. Franky needs his help, and failure is not an option.

  
  


** *

  
The whole world starts spinning around again, and another roll of nausea strikes the cook. He feels like shit, standing in the sun for hours and not being able to get any sleep. It's long past midnight, propably close to the dawn. The constant throbbing of his head maes it hard to concentrate on anything, his back is killing him after staying in the same position for so long, plus he's positive he has a slight fever. On top of that, he can't stop shivering. According to what the Marine kid said, he's got up to one day left. Whole twenty four hours more of this hell. No food, no water, feeling like already dying.  _ Almost like then.  Sanji flinches involuntairly, noticing he's back on the damned rock. That can't be possible, he has to be hallucinating. He walks towards the other edge. The geezer's here, sitting just like  _ _ _ then.  _ _ Sanji tries to walk towards the man, but when he's only a few meters away, loud sound of sirens bring him back to reality. He blinks fast, shaking his head in order to stay awake. Then he hears it. The so familiar voice he expected to never hear again.

“Hey, Robin! I think found the cook!”

  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter!  
So, I hope you didn't get too disappointed with me, after all, imperfect and human, aren't we? Anyway, I'm going to deal with the stuff on my side as soon as possible in order to write more. As for this chapter, I kind of came up with the sunstroke thing when I watched the episode when Zoro and Luffy first met, I mean, yeah, I'm sure you get what I'm aiming at. I also came across some pretty good stories lately and they gave me the whole idea, plus I think it's a problem that's often ignored by authors, and it's one of the issues I can write knowing-I-know-what-the-problem-is-about haha (that's quite sad actually, well... damn). I hope you liked this concept and the whole chapter, I'm looking forward to reading some of your ideas.  
Thank you for choosing my work,  
Angel1622


	8. Heatstroke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before you read:  
I apologize for the slow update, however I got kind of blocked with this story and then distracted with some new ideas, nonetheless I hope you'll enjoy this second to last chapter.  
I wish you a good lecture and enjoyable time exploring the story.

Zoro barely manages to distinguish the cook's silhouette in the dark. They've been running around the base for a long time, way too long for the swordsman's liking. They searched through every cell, finding only a few beaten and battered thugs and a Marine guard sleeping lazily in a chair. Waking up with a sword at his throat was probably not what the man imagined when falling asleep, still he managed to give them some clues about their missing friend's whereabouts. And now, he's standing only a few meters away from that idiot, who thinks that throwing his life away without a fight is a brilliant idea.

“Hey, Robin!” he shouts, trying to shout over the sirens “I think I found the cook!”

“Well done, swordsman-san.” she says, instantly appearing beside him “There's no mistaking it, that's our cook-san.”

“I'll go get him.” Zoro puts Wado in his mouth “You watch if anyone's coming.”

“Understood.” the woman crossed her arms, eyes closed. The swordsman rushes forward, closely watching the Marines on the walls. It kind of reminds him of the day he and Luffy first met. Though it was around noon. And the base wasn't so fucking huge. Getting closer to the cook, he notices he's slightly shivering, watching him but not saying anything. He's tied to a wooden cross-shaped pole, nothing the swordsman isn't able to slice into pieces.

“Cook.” he says, attracting the man's attention “Are you okay?” The blond looks up and mutters something Zoro can't understand.

“'mka... y... shty st...rd.” he frowns slightly, as if not being able to form sentences properly. The swordsman cocks an eyebrow, taking three large steps closer. He can now see the cook's face, covered in sweat and red. Shit, he has to be feverish.

“Don't move.” with a few clean cuts the ropes give up. The cook falls right into Zoro's arms. His hands are icy cold, even though it's a summer island and the night is quite warm. Definitely not a good sign. The swordsman lifts his friend's inert body up an puts it over his shoulder, wrapping one of his hands around the cook's legs and grasping one of his arms. The moment he lifts up, he hears a loud shout nearby. The voice doesn't belong to anyone from the crew. Someone must've spotted Robin, which means it's time to hurry up. Zoro leaves the yard, moving not as carefully as before now. He meet's Robin's concerned look. No wonder, for the cook not being able to walk means something serious, but now Zoro is positive getting out of the base is the most important thing.

“..Rb...n-ch..n.” the blond mutters again, this time a little less lively than before.

“Don't strain yourself, cook-san.” the archeologist shushes him “You'll tell us everything you want once doctor-san lays an eye on you.”

  
***

“Luffy! LUFFY!” shouts Nami, trying to attract her captain's attention “Let's get back to the Sunny! Zoro and Robin found Sanji-kun!”

A moment earlier she heard her Baby Transponder Snail buzz three times – a signal meaning the rest of the crew was already on the ship. The navigator couldn't hold back a smile, however Luffy seemed to not have heard the call. Which meant, he stayed completely surrounded by the Marines, punching whoever came in his sight with his Gum-Gum Gatling. Nami shouts again, and again, but her voice is instantly drowned out in the Marines' screams and shouted commands. Having no other choice, she takes out her Clima Tact.

Cool ball... Heat ball.. Cool ball... Heat ball...

She watches the cloud grow bigger and bigger, nervously glancing on the captain, longing for him to turn his head and notice it's time to go. But he's way too absorbed in the fight. Well, at least the thunderbolts won't hurt him badly – his rubber body is immune to lightning.  
Thunderbolt tempo.

Nami instinctively covers her ears, but she's aware it won't help much. The thunder is so loud for a moment she's sure her eardrums are done for. While all the Marines surrounding Luffy are unconscious, she runs towards him and points a finger towards the Sunny. This time he gets the message, wrapping an arm around her and stretching his other one until it grabs the ship's mast. The navigator refuses to watch, feeling her guts twisting in a specific way of someone being catapulted. With a quiet thud the feeling stops, and the navigator dares to open her eyes, seeing the familiar roof of crow's nest. She lets out a sigh, feeling her hearing returning. Yelling. A lot of yelling from the Marines. Zoro's voice reaching out to them. Sanji-kun is safe, it's time to escape. It's only a matter of time before the enemy's ships start the pursuit.

Chopper frowns deeply, carefully examining Sanji's hands. The fingers are broken and have an unnatural purplish colour, a very bad sign, plus the nails had been removed. The little doctor trembles with anger at the thought the man who did it to his friend is safe and sound, but it's impossible to beat him up and escape safely afterwards, especially when one of the crew's Monster Trio is unable to fight. When Zoro and Robin first brought him here, the reindeer smiled widely, sure that the blond is okay and he only needs a routine check-up to make sure everything's fine.

_ “Zoro! You got Sanji back!” Chopper runs towards the swordsman, grinning widely. It was only mere seconds ago when he heard the knocking and saw them and Robin, and now he was thrilled to see the cook was alive. There was no blood visible, to the reindeer's relief. It was only Zoro's concerned look that stopped him from jumping and giving the missing cook a tight hug._

_“Doctor-san.” Robin speaks, moving closer “We found cook-san, but he seems to have suffered from a sunstroke. What's even more concerning...” she glances at the said man _

_“...his hands seem to be in an alarming state.”_

_That said, Zoro walks inside the room and carefully lays Sanji on the infirmary's bed. Chopper looks at the cook. He's shivering and breathing loudly, his eyes closed. The doctor puts a hoof on his forehead, it's unnaturally warm. The rest of his body, however, is alarmingly cold._

_“He's probably dehydrated and malnourished, too.” he says “I'll start him on IV right away. His hands can wait, the top priority now is to take care of the sunstroke.”_

Chopper imagined this scene a couple of times while sailing, but he wasn't prepared for a sunstroke. He rather imagined the cook being dragged into the infirmary barely alive, with lots of cuts, bruises and fractured limbs, maybe even without some, though he always pushed the last thought as far as possible. Denailing and broken fingers didn't surprise him though – he read that it was a popular torture method in one of Robin's books when he mistook it for one of his own. That's why he was prepared for everything. Looking at the cook now, he curses himself for not thinking about such a method of torture. From what Robin and Zoro said, Sanji was tied to a wooden pole. A purplish mark on his neck suggests he was left there for quite a long time. When adding the fact it's a summer island, everything seems to make sense. He turns around, preparing a cool cloth and dressings for the cook. The others will take care of the Marines, his job is to make sure no permanent damage would be done to Sanji's brain and hands. After all, what good of a doctor would he be if he can't even save his crewmate?

Usopp grabs his Kabuto, watching the Marine ships leave the port. As Nami said, It would be hard to escape without using Coup De Burst, but what choice do they have? Zoro and Robin returned a short while ago, not even saying “We're back.”, instead rushing to the infirmary straight away. It concerns Usopp a lot, though he can't say he's surprised – everyone's prepared themselves for the worst. But as far as he knows Chopper, he won't ever let his crewmate die. Plus, from what little he managed to get from Zoro, Sanji didn't have any mortal wounds. When asked about serious injuries though, the swordsman remained tight-lipped. His silence, however, told Usopp more than a thousand words. The sniper cursed, unable to stop coming up with dark scenarios.

“Luffy!” he heard Zoro's shouts “We got the cook! It's time to get away from here!” Right, they have yet to stop the pursuit. Usopp and Franky made sure all the necessary equipment is working. They are ready to defend Sunny.

“Usopp bro!” he hears Franky's voice “Cannons!”

The sniper turns away in an instant, looking at the Marines' ships cannons pointed at them. He gulps, putting on his sniper googles and reaching to his bag for some bullets. He'll have to survive the first wave, after that Luffy will get down from the crow's nest and help them out. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Zoro putting a katana in his mouth and growling quietly. As the enemy ships shoot, Usopp takes a breath and stretches Kabuto, aiming for the three flying in his direction. Two of them are likely to miss, but better safe than sorry. All three of his bullets hit their targets, however a loud bang can be heard and the ship reels strongly.

“They got us!” shouts Franky “At this rate, they're going to catch up!” Usopp gulps, turning around. This can't be happening. They're so close to running away safely. Besides, what's going to happen to Sanji if those

“Where did they hit?” he asks, already on his way to the Usopp's Factory for equipment “We need to take care of this as soon as possible!”

***  
  


Zoro hisses, looking around. They managed to get rid of nearly all of the ships. Nearly being the key word, unfortunately. He sees one of the ships getting closer to them and Marines getting on board. He draws his sword and before he knows it there's blood spilling on the deck. He shakes in rage as he imagines one of those men could be the one who hurt the shitty cook in the most cruel way possible. Something in the back of his head tells him he, whoever he is, is close. The whole deck reeks of murderous intent. Perhaps he already got on the Sunny. The thought alone makes him shudder and risk a glance in the direction of the sick bay. Apparently, the heavens are at his side this time.

A large, massive man in a white cape is slowly moving towards the door, somehow avoiding any fights. The cruel smile on his mug sends an alarming shiver through Zoro's spine. It has to be the bastard, the swordsman has do doubts. He feels his swords practically longing for the man’s blood, slightly shifting and whispering quietly, taunting him to go there and give them some of the crimson liquid. But this time Zoro doesn’t need anyone to convince him. He rushes towards him, putting Wado in his mouth.

The man notices him and seems to have lost all interest in the sick bay by now.


	9. The last one thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The very last chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
Finally, we got to the end of this story! I wanted to get it over with, since now I had new things to write, and the very gloomy mood I used to have when writing this is gone, so what use is there to dig deeper into this fic? It feels somehow nostalgic, because this was my second fic, and the idea of the Law of Exchange was occupying my mind for long days if not weeks before I first wrote it down. I learned a lot of things during creating this one, so I'm grateful to everyone who supported it - thank you!  
Have fun reading the last chapter!

They clash, their swords sliding against one another. Somehow, it resembles a lively dance, one in which both the dancers have to be flawless, impetuous, they can’t afford a mistake if the show has to go on. But Zoro doesn’t want to dance. He nearly manages to cut through the man’s chest, when Wado in his mouth becomes blocked by the Marine’s second hand, wielding a sword he failed to notice before.

“Roronoa Zoro.” The man hums, grinning widely “You surely do live up to your rumors. I’ve been following your path for a while.” The swordsman doesn’t stop in his tracks, doesn’t respond. He has no time, the music fastening, the steps becoming more rapid and harder to follow. He wants to test the Marine, see how far can he go until the dance floor swallows him.

“You know, I have a soft spot for pirates like your friend, Sanji.” The man says the cook’s name as though he was talking about a dear friend of his, which makes Zoro’s blood boil. He takes the lead, a pirouette, step forth, step back. The man doesn’t fall behind.

“That’s a fiery temper, isn’t it?” he continued, seemingly unmoved by the swordsman’s constant silence “I’ve only mentioned his name and you’re already acting as though it was a big deal. You know, we got to know each other pretty well, well better than you know him.” Zoro slows down his pace, letting the man continue, letting the fury inside of him rise, letting the swords _scream_ for blood.

“It sounds crazy, right?” the Marine chuckles, his eyes wide carefully watching Zoro’s expression as he speaks “But during this short time I got to know him very well. For example, did you know that he always chokes his screams before he finally breaks?” Zoro’s eyes widen, the urge to cut through the man’s throat suddenly itching inside of him, as though he’s been bitten by a mosquito. He was wrong when he decided to listen to the man. He aims Kitetsu at the Marine’s stomach, but the man manages to dodge.

“Whoa, I’m not done yet!” he jumps to the right, dashing at Zoro with his swords crossed. The swordsman easily blocks the strike, but he realizes the man visibly didn’t care about hitting him. He just wanted to get closer.

“Did you know that a man like him can’t watch his own fingernails being pulled out?” Zoro moves with less grace, rapidly and dangerously attacking his partner, urging for him to make a mistake.

“Did you know that he would cry when his fingers were broken one after another?” The Marine spins, trying to slow down the pace, but the swordsman wouldn’t give him the chance. The whole audience’s watching, what would they say if they slowed down now, at the very end?

“Did you know that he turns his head to the right, protecting his exposed eye when you’d beat him up?” The last notes play. It’s about time for the finale. Now or never. Zoro jumps away from the Marine, putting his swords into the same familiar triangle he did when fighting Mihawk. The man grins, preparing for the attack. The winner takes it all.

“Three sword style secret technique.” He mutters, watching the other man preparing for the strike. Blood is going to be spilled.

“Three thousand worlds.”

“LUFFY!” shouts the sniper as he notices he is slowly being overpowered by the Marines. There are many of them, way too many to his liking. Just when he thought everything was going to end blissfully.

The captain is by his side in splits of seconds, punching and kicking everything in his sight. Usopp notices a spark in Luffy’s eyes. He is completely absorbed by rage, delivering his hits to any unlucky fellow that would come into sight.

“Luffy.” Whispered the sharpshooter “Hey, calm down a little.” As much as inappropriate it sounded in such a moment, there will be no escape if the captain destroyed Sunny while kicking Marine asses.

“I won’t let anyone who hurt my friends get away with it!” stated Luffy, clenching his teeth “What wrong did Sanji do to them?”

“Luffy, I get it, you’re pissed.” Usopp took a break while aiming for some of the Marines who managed to get out of the other man’s range “But the most important thing right now is to get away!”

“There wasn’t anything about torturing him in the rules, Robin read them out loud!” Luffy’s voice breaks “Zoro and her were so scared when they brought Sanji back! You know they are _never _scared!” the moment he says those words, Usopp notices how empty the deck has become. Did Luffy just–

“They are never scared.” the captain is standing so that the sharpshooter can’t see his face, but he doesn’t have to. He _hears _them. For the very first time since they’ve met.

“It’s going to be alright.” He says, forcing a small smile “Chopper is the best doctor in the whole wide world, it’s nothing he can’t fix. For now, let’s just get away from this place.”

***

He feels as though he has just woken up with a terrible fever, which actually could be happening because the first thing he sees after opening his eyes is Chopper frantically moving around the infirmary, muttering something under his breath, but he is unable to place the words at first. He carefully looks around, scanning his surroundings. There was an alarm, so there have to be Marines pursuing them, or maybe… damn it, how long was he out?

“Hey, Chopper.” He calls the doctor and nearly smirks when he sees the reindeer suddenly stop in his tracks “How long have I been asleep?’

“Sanji!” instead of a response, the chef gets a big hug. He raises his eyebrows a little “I’ve been so worried, like, I was prepared that you would be nearly dying when Zoro and Robin would bring you back, but absolutely not for a sunstroke! I’m sorry, it was my fault everything wasn’t ready–“

“Calm down, there.” Stops him the chef, this time frowning “I’m alive, so I suppose everything’s okay, right? Tell me, what exactly happened.”

“Right, sorry.” Chopper choked down a sob, giving the chef some space to breathe “When you were brought here, you had a sunstroke, broken fingers and pulled out nails.” The reindeer is talking really fast “The Marines were chasing us, but Luffy and Zoro dealt with most of them. You had an insane fever, it broke half an hour ago but you’re still warm. You were barely conscious when you first got here, but I gave you some medicaments and put you to sleep about three hours ago.”

“Holy shit.” Mutters the chef. They were all risking their lives in a battle, and he goddamn slept through it all. “Is everyone okay?”

“You should be worrying about yourself!” snapped the doctor “You could die, you know? Usopp literally freaked out when he got to us, and everyone was out of their minds, Sanji. Everyone was so concerned, and when we lost the course then I, I thought that–“

“Hey, Chopper.” Sanji pats the reindeer’s head “It’s okay now. I’m sorry for what happened, but I didn’t have a choice. They would kill Usopp then and there if I didn’t act.”

“I know that, dumbass!” sniffs the doctor “Even though, even though… you shouldn’t have just given yourself to the Marines. Look what they did to you!”  
“I’ll be _fine._” Sanji embraces Chopper and gives him a big hug “After all, the best doctor ever is there to put me together if shit happens, right?”

“Your compliments won’t make me happy, idiot Sanji!” yeah, the doctor does seem happy as hell, and the chef smiles weakly seeing him so joyful. He is going to be fine, everything is going to be alright. Chopper put his fingers together, he is sure of it.

“The others really want to see you. You should’ve seen how Zoro and Robin both freaked out when they got you here, I’ve never seen them like that… but please don’t mention it while they’re present.”

“Don’t worry.” Assures him Sanji. He would never spoil such rumors about Robin-chan, and the shitty swordsman… he’s sure the others noticed, because well, the idiot _never _freaks out, so if he did…

“Sanji-kun!” he hears lovely Nami-san’s call and the smell of tangerines and money hits him before he sees her, in all grace and glory. She is smiling widely and waving at him. Just like in a perfect dream.

In a truly perfect dream, though, there would be no loud bunch of idiots rumbling into the room right after her.

***

“You know, and then Nami and I busted into the base to kick those Marine asses!” Luffy has been talking for a long while now, telling Sanji how exactly did they come to his rescue “Zoro and Robin brought you back, and then we also got back, but there was a lot of Marines chasing us. No worries though, we got them in no time. Shishishishi!”

“That’s good.” Nods the chef, smiling slightly when looking at his friends’ smiling faces. He didn’t think he would ever get to see them again, the bitter feeling in his gut never leaving him, but now it all seems to disappear. He feels more alive than ever, even if bedridden. The sun shines brighter, the air is fresher, the sea is brighter.

“Luffy.” Said Nami-san “Give Sanji some rest! You know he needs it. Besides, you know Usopp wanted to talk to him, too.”

“Alright, alright.” Whines the captain, turning back to Sanji before his leaving “Usopp was so worried about you this whole time, he didn’t even want to eat!”

“LUFFY!” rebukes him the navigator “Can you please leave now? Sanji-kun, if you want anything, call me or Robin. Can’t trust those idiots.”

“I’ll be fine, Nami-san.” Sanji gives her an assuring smile “Though you’re really beautiful when you’re worried about me!”

The door slams shut, leaving him alone with the sharpshooter. Usopp hasn’t said a word since the chef woke up, but now looks up at him.

“Sanji…” he says “I’m sorry. It was all my fault.”

“Don’t be.” Replies the cook “It was my decision.”

“They broke your fingers. You nearly died.” The sharpshooter doesn’t back off.

“They would have killed you.” Shrugs the chef.

“You shouldn’t have given yourself up. It wasn’t fair.”

“You shouldn’t have brought others to that base. Something could happen to Nami-san or Robin-chan.” Sanji is well aware how it sounds, but he knew what was going to happen to him. He was lucky for getting away with only a couple of bruises and broken bones. They could do _anything _to him, and he wouldn’t make them stop.

“Don’t tell me you wanted to die there.” Usopp frowns, his eyes widening slightly.

“I didn’t, but I was prepared for it. I thought everything through before calling the Law of Exchange. I knew the consequences.”

“You wouldn’t call it if they didn’t put a fucking gun to my head!” Usopp raises his voice, but Sanji can see tears building up in his eyes “You did it only because I didn’t listen to you. If I trusted you, none of this would happen. Zoro told me it doesn’t work that way, but it’s the truth.”

“For once, you could listen to the shitty swordsman.” Sanji sighed “Usopp, if you want to die so badly, you can ask him to slice you up like Mihawk did it to him. It would be a matter of seconds.”

“You know it’s not what I mean. I, I’m just so happy you’re alive, but at the same time I should have been the one to go through this!”

“Listen up for once, long-nose.” Sanji gets tired of the other man’s talking. He sighs as he realizes they are never going to reach an agreement in this case “I’m alive, no one permanent damage has been dealt to me, I don’t blame you for anything. The only one thinking lowly of you is you alone. No one on this ship thinks what happened is your fault, so you either get it over with or continue bitching like some low-life Marines.” The sharpshooter definitely gets the point as he straightens up, rubbing his eyes.

“I guess you’re right.” He shakes his head a little “But don’t think I’ll ever forget how stupid you can get.”

“What was that just now?” asked Sanji with the most scary, intimidating expression one can make when running on IV.

“Nothing. I kept your lighter, I put it near the coffee machine. You’ll find it as soon as you get out of here.” With those words the sniper is gone. Sanji smiles to himself, looking outside the window, at his friends – laughing, running around, bickering, living their lives to the fullest.

Tomorrow is going to be a beautiful day, he knows it.

An entirely new tomorrow.


End file.
